Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Peter Magnuson

Prof Sunny Singh @profsunnysingh.bsky.social · 27m

Honoured to be featured on one of my favourite podcasts, The Diverse Bookshelf. We covered a lot: books, writing, history, politics and more. It was intense but also nourishing and fun. Give it a listen: thediversebookshelf.buzzsprout.com/2021069/epis...
#Refuge: Stories of War (and Love)

Sunny Singh on war, love and stories that refuse silence - The Diverse Bookshelf

This week, I'm thrilled to be in conversation with Professor Sunny Singh.Sunny Singh was born in India and over the years her life has spanned continents and languages.  She earned a BA in Englis...

thediversebookshelf.buzzsprout.com

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Dr.MRO/ Axel Folio @isasaxonists.bsky.social · 30m

🐉✨ Collaboration time!
I’m so excited to share that Sarah from @greyowlknits.bsky.social has created a stunning new pattern the Draco Manus Mittens using my yarns Louverture’s Sapphire & Dragon’s Pale Gold. Get your hands on her new pattern & also enjoy 15% all my yarns this weekend! 🧶
#knitsky
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A collage announcing a knitting collaboration inspired by a medieval dragon. In the top left, a blue and gold dragon curls beside Gothic script from a 15th-century manuscript (Harley MS 1662). To the right, two skeins of yarn — one cream, one vivid sapphire blue — are shown with fern and pearl accents. Below, a pair of colorwork mittens display the dragon motif in blue and cream against a rustic wooden background. Center text reads “NEW COLLAB ALERT!” with a small green dragon icon. Additional images show close-ups of the yarn and the finished mittens, whose intricate patterns mirror the medieval illumination.

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Mueller, She Wrote @muellershewrote.com · 20h

A restraining order was issued YESTERDAY by a federal judge barring detention of journalists in this district unless they refuse to reposition themselves and are given adequate time to do so, or there’s probable cause they’ve committed a crime.

Heartland Signal @heartlandsignal.bsky.social · 20h

BREAKING: Masked Border Patrol agents aggressively arrested WGN video producer Debbie Brockman in Lincoln Square Friday morning, supposedly for "obstructing justice." (Video via Josh Thomas on Facebook)

Follow @heartlandsignal for more.

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The Provost / سيدة الفتنة @msentropy.bsky.social · 21h

When an Oath Keeper leaked the 2009 DHS memo about militias recruiting members of the military, the entire right-wing went ballistic about “presidential tyranny” and “political prosecution” and “patriotic dissent” and “domestic extremism” and “government overreach.”

just saying

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Olive 🍉 @limbischessystem.bsky.social · 20h

Farmer Ali and his family
haven‘t eaten since 7 days.
His account got suspended
and there are NO donations.

Please, this is URGENT 🆘🆘🆘

Share - and give if you can

Ali is ✅ verified.

Help Ali and His Family Survive the Famine
chuffed.org/project/132290

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Popehat Agitates And Irritates @kenwhite.bsky.social · 22h

Wen should direct more attention to incidents like these because Americans are more likely to respond to brutality to pets than to brutality to human beings.

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 22h

EL PASO — a family says ICE showed up at their house looking for migrants and shot and KILLED THEIR DOG, then didn’t help them as the agent ran away and was not identified.

kfoxtv.com/news/local/e...

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Krassensteins @krassenstein.bsky.social · 20h

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David Pepper @davidpepperoh.bsky.social · 18h

🚨 🚨

This is a producer for WGN Chicago.

This is Putin-style autocracy.

WATCH

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Heartland Signal @heartlandsignal.bsky.social · 20h

BREAKING: Masked Border Patrol agents aggressively arrested WGN video producer Debbie Brockman in Lincoln Square Friday morning, supposedly for "obstructing justice." (Video via Josh Thomas on Facebook)

Follow @heartlandsignal for more.

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The Provost / سيدة الفتنة @msentropy.bsky.social · 1d

Linked below is a reminder of the actual reason this administration is pursuing a “foreign terrorism” designation, instead of the bullshit they’d like you to believe.

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The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 19h

“I’m worried about my community… I’m out here in a frog costume to show how ridiculous the notion that we’re violent terrorists is, and showcase how that narrative is wrong…”

Serious Q: is it too late to give this dude the Nobel Peace Prize? 🐸 🏆

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Its ruaa @itsmeio.bsky.social · 1d

Don’t stop until Palestine is free, from the river to the sea, until justice!

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Workshops4Gaza @workshops4gaza.bsky.social · 19h

The Sameer Project’s donations are down 45% today but their work is unfortunately far from over. Give to the South campaign, which supplies 200,000 liters of water a day: chuffed.org/project/1132...

South Gaza: Tents, Food & Water

**With Famine on the rise, we will significantly lower tent purchases and focus on food (rice and bread) and water over the next couple of weeks**

chuffed.org

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Josep Goded (New Main Account) @josepgoded2.bsky.social · 1d

Israel killed them last night.

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Dr.MRO/ Axel Folio @isasaxonists.bsky.social · 1d

A ceasefire doesn't mean those of us outside Gaza stop advocating for Palestinians or a liberated Palestine. Dima's family is in need & she has a donor who will be matching donations until Saturday. Pls do consider donating if you can and/or share! gofund.me/7d29b8f48

I want to share something important with you. Our friend Nadim is planning to launch a campaign to support my family with a goal of $5000. The amazing part is that every dollar donated will be doubled which means your help can go twice as far.

This support will help us cover urgent treatments for my mother and grandfather and provide healthy food for my family. Your kindness can truly make a difference in our lives. Thank you for standing with us - your generosity gives us hope.

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Gaza Freedom Flotilla Coalition @freedomflotilla.bsky.social · 1d

#LIVE from #Istanbul airport, international volunteers from different #Flotilla actions fro #Gaza arriving on a flight from Israel after their illegal adbuction at sea & detention by the occupation forces. youtube.com/live/AjMnYOq... via
# YouTube

Ffc Members in Istanbul

YouTube video by Freedom Flotilla Coalition

youtube.com

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Jim Daley @jimdaleywrites.bsky.social · 1d

I'm at the scene where ICE abducted multiple people from Lincoln and Foster this morning.

A WGN producer was among the people taken, allegedly because she was among a group of bystanders who tried to intervene. ICE agents hit this car while making their getaway.

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Popehat Agitates And Irritates @kenwhite.bsky.social · 1d

I’ve never seen anything remotely this petty charged as bank fraud.

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 1d

NEW: Here's the two-count indictment against NY AG Letitia James. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

INDICTMENT
October 2025 Term - at Alexandria, Virginia
THE GRAND JURY CHARGES THAT:
GENERAL ALLEGATIONS
At all times relevant to this Indictment:
1. Letitia A. James ("JAMES) was a resident of Brooklyn, New York, and the borrower on a
Fannie Mae-backed mortgage loan for the property located at 3121 Peronne Avenue,
Norfolk, Virginia.
2. OVM Financial (also known as Old Virginia Mortgage / AnnieMac) was a mortgage lending business located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, engaged in the business of originating and underwriting residential mortgage loans, including those backed by the Federal National Mortgage Association ("Fannie Mae"). OVM Financial qualified as a "financial institution" within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. § 20(10).
3. Fannie Mae was a federally chartered corporation that purchased and guaranteed mortgages,
operating as a government-sponsored enterprise under the oversight of the Federal Housing

Finance Agency ("FHFA").
4. First Savings Bank was a state-chartered, FDIC-insured financial institution (Certificate
#29961), headquartered in Jeffersonville, Indiana, which acquired mortgage loans through assignment or acquisition. First Savings Bank qualified as a "financial institution" within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. § 20(1).
5. On or about August 17, 2020, JAMES, as sole borrower, purchased the three (3) bedroom,
(1) bathroom property located at 3121 Peronne Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia 23509 (the
"Peronne Property"), for approximately $137,000, financed with a mortgage loan of approximately $109,600 (Loan #4430025978) backed by Fannie Mae.
6. The loan was originated by OVM Financial under a signed Second Home Rider, which required JAMES, as the sole borrower to occupy and use the property as her secondary residence, and prohibited its use as a timesharing or other shared ownership arrangement or agreement that requires her either to rent the property or give any other person any control over the occupancy or use of the property.
7. Despite these representations, the Peronne Property was not occupied or used by JAMES as a secondary residence and was instead used as a rental investment property, renting the property to a family of (3).
8. This misrepresentation allowed JAMES to obtain favorable loan terms not available for investment properties, including a note rate of 3.000% (avoiding a 0.815% higher
comparable investment property rate of 3.815%, resulting in approximately $17,837 in rate savings over the life of the loan), a seller credit of approximately $3,288 (exceeding the seller credit for investment properties by approximately $1,096), for total ill-gotten gains of approximately $18,933 over the life of the loan.
9. JAMES' Universal Property application for homeowners' insurance indicated "owner-

occupied non-seasonal use," further misrepresenting the intended use of the property.
10. JAMES filed Schedule E tax forms), under penalties of perjury, treating the Perrone Property as rental real estate, reporting fair rental days, zero personal use days, thousand(s)
of dollars in rents received, and claiming deductions for expenses relating to the property, further contradicting the second home classification.
11. The loan was acquired by or assigned to First Savings Bank by March 2021, exposing it to risks associated with the misrepresented loan.
12. The acts described herein occurred within the Eastern District of Virginia.
COUNT ONE
(Bank Fraud - 18 U.S.C. § 1344)
13. The allegations in paragraphs 1 through 12 are re-alleged and incorporated herein.
14. From on or about August 7, 2020, through at least January 2024, in the Eastern District of Virginia and elsewhere, the Defendant, LETITIA A. JAMES, did knowingly execute and attempt to execute a scheme and artifice to defraud OVM Financial and First Savings Bank,
financial institutions, and to obtain moneys, funds, and credits owned by and under the custody and control of OVM Financial and First Savings Bank by means of false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises.
15. The scheme involved falsely representing the Peronne Property as a secondary residence to obtain favorable mortgage terms, while using it as an investment property with no intended
or actual personal occupancy or use by her.
(In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1344).
COUNT TWO
(False Statements to a Financial Institution - 18 U.S.C. § 1014)
16. The allegations in paragraphs 1 through 12 are re-alleged and incorporated herein.

17. From on or about July 28, 2020, through at least August 31, 2020, in the Eastern District of Virginia and elsewhere, the Defendant, LETITIA A. JAMES, did knowingly make and cause to be made false statements and reports for the purpose of influencing the action of OVM Financial, a Fannie Mae-backed lender, upon an application for a loan, in that JAMES represented and affirmed in uniform residential loan applications and related documents that
the Peronne Property would be used as a secondary residence, when in truth and fact, as JAMES then knew, the property was intended and used as an investment property with no intended or actual personal occupancy or use by her.
(In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1014).
FORFEITURE NOTICE
Pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 32.2(a) and Title 18, U.S.C. §
982(a)(2)(A), upon conviction of the offenses in Counts One and Two, the Defendant, Letitia
A. James, shall forfeit to the United States any property constituting, or derived from, proceeds obtained, directly or indirectly, as a result of such violations, including but not limited to a money judgment in the amount of $18,933.
If any of the property described above, as a result of any act or omission of the Defendant: (a) cannot be located upon the exercise of due diligence; (b) has been transferred or sold to, or deposited with, a third party; (c) has been placed beyond the jurisdiction of the court; (d) has been substantially diminished in value; or (e) has been commingled with other property which cannot be divided without difficulty, the United States shall be entitled to a forfeiture of substitute property pursuant to Title 21, U.S.C. § 853(b), as incorporated by Title
18 U.S.C. § 982(b)(1).
(In accordance with Title 18 U.S.C. § 981(a)(1)(C) and 982(a)(1); Title 28, U.S.C. § 2461(c); and Title 21 U.S.C. § 853(p).)

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Lane @lanethebot.bsky.social · 22h

The beasts have left and the beauty is flowing back in. Bless #Gaza 🇵🇸

Layla @lili-kh.bsky.social · 23h

The land spits out the invaders and welcomes back her own people once again.

📍Gaza
October 10, 2025

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Dr.MRO/ Axel Folio @isasaxonists.bsky.social · 1d

While Palestinians hopefully can take a breath, the rest of us don't stop pressing our govts until Palestine is free. The work continues for us. Justice must be served.

The war will end. The leaders will shake hands. The old woman will keep waiting for her beloved husband. And those children will wait for their heroic father. I don't know who sold our homeland. But I saw who paid the price. ~ Mahmoud Darwish

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Workshops4Gaza @workshops4gaza.bsky.social · 1d

fuck

Raimo Kangasniemi @rk70534.bsky.social · 1d

Israel killed today another of journalist Motasem Dalloul's children.

Motasem made the announcement 3 hours after the ceasefire should have taken effect.

Israel has now killed his wife & 3 children.

He himself has been wounded twice, once during the Great Return March & once during the genocide.

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Lane @lanethebot.bsky.social · 1d

The hero’s worked hard to get their prisoners of war back. #IDF #Israel

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Rose 🇮🇪🤝🇵🇸 @anaemicroyalty.bsky.social · 1d

Israel lied (again) despite the supposed ceasefire the intense bombing hasn't stopped.

Help Mohammed and Heba @mohammedandheba68.bsky.social · 1d

write this with tears in my eyes، I can't take it anymore. I'm completely exhausted. I suffer in silence.😭

All that matters to me is keeping my family safe, Please help me buy healthy food.

If you’re scrolling, PLEASE leave a dot . If can't donate.
gofund.me/201cea7fa

@mommunism.bsky.social ❤️🙏

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Peter Magnuson @pmag77.bsky.social · 1d

👍

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Lane @lanethebot.bsky.social · 1d

We never once gave up on #Gaza 🇵🇸

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